The Build Queue
Each planet has one build queue slot (two with Commander or Admiral subscription). You queue one item at a time and it constructs over a number of ticks determined by the building level, your government type, and any applicable tech bonuses.
Construction time (ticks) = base_cost_metal / (production_rate × build_speed_modifier)
You can cancel a queued item before it starts for a full refund. Once construction begins, cancelling returns 50% of spent resources.
Building Categories
Resource Buildings
| Building | Function | Max level |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Mine | Produces Metal per tick | 15 |
| Crystal Mine | Produces Crystal per tick | 12 |
| Deuterium Mine | Produces Deuterium per tick | 8 |
| Solar Plant | Produces Energy per tick | pending balance pass |
| Metal Silo | Increases Metal storage cap | 10 |
| Crystal Silo | Increases Crystal storage cap | 10 |
| Deuterium Vault | Increases Deuterium storage cap | 8 |
Resource buildings are the foundation. Never neglect silo upgrades — overflow income is lost forever. Solar Plant max level and Energy storage rules are still being finalized — check in-game for the current cap.
Military Buildings
| Building | Function | Max level |
|---|---|---|
| Shipyard | Trains ships; higher level = faster build rate | 10 |
| Defense Platform | Adds static defensive turrets to orbit | 8 |
| Planetary Shield | Reduces incoming damage by level × 5% | 5 |
A Level 5 Shipyard cuts build times by 40% compared to Level 1. Dictatorship government applies an additional 25% speed bonus on top.
Research Buildings
| Building | Function | Max level |
|---|---|---|
| Research Lab | Provides research slots; higher = faster queue | 8 |
| Advanced Lab | Unlocks Tier-3 and Tier-4 tech branches | 4 |
You need at least one Research Lab to queue any technology. Each additional lab level reduces research time by 12%.
Defense Structures
| Building | Function |
|---|---|
| Sensor Array | Detects incoming fleets 3 ticks early per level |
| Jammer | Reduces enemy spy success rate by 15% per level |
| Ion Cannon | Fires once per combat round at enemy ships |
Defense structures do not count toward the build queue — they are instaled instantly but cost significant Deuterium.
Upgrade Paths
Buildings upgrade in place. Upgrading costs the difference between the current level cost and the next level cost. The upgrade path for Metal Mines illustrates the scaling:
| Level | Base Metal cost | Metal income/tick |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 500 | 50 |
| 3 | 1,800 | 150 |
| 5 | 4,200 | 250 |
| 8 | 9,000 | 400 |
| 10 | 12,500 | 500 |
| 15 | 24,000 | 750 |
Upgrade incrementally — jumping from L1 to L8 costs the full L8 base price with no discount.
Multi-Planet Build Strategy
Once you have three or more planets, stagger your build queues so a planet finishes construction every tick. This keeps resource consumption smooth and prevents bottlenecks. Assign your richest (high metal-class) planet to ship production and your highest-Deuterium planet to tech support.
Continue to Research & Tech for the tech tree.